Q&A with “When It’s Dark Out” Rapper + Producer – G-EAZY

Dressed in black with his hair slicked back, G-Eazy adds a touch of class to hip-hop. For as traditionally dapper as he may be, he’s got both feet firmly planted in the future. So what does the future look like for the producer, songwriter, and rapper? Well, it’s just as bright as he is…

Raised in Oakland, CA, G-Eazy made the decision to enroll at Loyola University New Orleans because of their strong music industry program where he started to cultivate and craft his own inimitable style while still in college. For the budding artist, the partying wasn’t nearly as important as creating. He missed more than a few keggers so he could lay down tracks in his dorm room for a series of buzz-generating mixtapes culminating in his 2011 breakout, Endless Summer.

With the release of Endless Summer, G-Eazy started to garner attention from both the backpackers and the mainstream. Diploma in hand, he hit 2012 running. During that summer’s Warped Tour, he produced, wrote, and recorded what would become his full-length debut, Must Be Nice. Blending elegant production with a sly, slick, and smooth flow, the album landed at #3 on the iTunes Hip Hop Chart completely independent of a label.

That next chapter is already unfolding. 2013 saw G-Eazy complete his first headline tour, selling out shows everywhere from New York, Milwaukee, and Salt Lake City to Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Looking more like a Tarantino hero than a standard MC, he stirred up a frenzy among the heavily female crowds, dodging a bras or two from the stage on a nightly basis. From the overwhelming success of the tour Paste Magazine named G-Eazy in their top artists to watch in 2013, High Times Magazine named him the “Best New Artist of 2013,” and Lil Wayne tapped him to join the America’s Most Wanted Festival nationwide tour.

The response has only grown more fervent, with G-Eazy’s second nationwide headline tour leading to the release of his highly anticipated second full-length album These Things Happen, which topped the Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B and Top Rap Albums Charts, also earning the #3 spot on the Billboard 200 and the Top Digital Albums Chart. The critics are in agreement with G-Eazy’s legions of fans, with Billboard proclaiming that G-Eazy is “The Young Elvis” in a multi-page feature story and The New York Times stating that G-Eazy is “clever, approachable and extremely legible” on These Things Happen. Even after VIBE exclaimed that “G-Eazy is, in fact, already a star, or at the very least destined to become one,” his goal remains the same as it did when he first started.

During summer of 2015, G-Eazy played some of the main stages at a series of notable music festivals such as Lollapalooza, Electric Forest, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Made in America and Austin City Limits. With the rise of his music career, the rapper has also taken up in interest in fashion by releasing a collaboration with Rare Panther in the fall of 2015 and being named GQ’s top 10 most stylish at New York Fashion Week last year. The rapper recently teamed up with songstress, Bebe Rexha for the track “Me, Myself & I. G-Eazy’s sophomore album, When It’s Dark Out, was released on December 4, 2015.

All Access Music writer, Nicole DeRosa had a chance to catch up with the talented gent. Read more in their interview below.

Hey G! Where does this interview find you today? What’s on the agenda today besides our interview?

Yo Nicole! I’m enjoying a rare day or two at home in the Bay. As much as I miss the road it’s nice to have a break.

For those not as familiar with you and your music, how did you get your start in music? Who or what was the catalyst for you?

I’ve been doing this for over 10 years, ever since I was a kid. It started out making mixtapes and selling them out of my backpack, then I went to school at Loyola University in New Orleans to learn more about the music industry, performing while I was a student and even going on tour, and since then everything’s been crazy. The music industry is a real ride. But I’ve always known this was what I wanted to do.

You have released numerous mixtapes (Must Be Nice, Endless Summer & The Outsider) and EP’s with hits like, “Waspy,” and “Candy Girl” and you released your long awaited, top selling debut studio album, These Things Happen last June. What did you learn between mixtapes and EPs that you felt you wanted to infuse into your debut album?

“Taking your time with things is so crucial. Once you put out a project and release it to the fans it can’t be changed, it lives like that forever. Never rush your work.”

You have collaborated with artists such as Greg Banks, Erika Flowers, American Idol contestant Devon Baldwin and most recently Pia Mia, who would you like to collaborate with next and why?

It’s a long list. So much of music is about bouncing your ideas off of others and working with others. My dream collab would be Kanye West.

I recently teamed up with Louis Futon for a remix of my track “Let’s Get Lost” featuring Devon Baldwin, and stuff like that is always fun. Working with E-40 was amazing too, since I’ve been listening to him since I was a kid.

What was the first song you fell in love with and why?

“Strawberry Fields”.  My mom used to play the Beatles all the time in the car when she’d drive me to see my Dad on weekends, and that song stood out to me, probably because of all the fields and farms we drove past on the highway.

Who were your musical influences growing up?

Old school guys like Johnny Cash, but also all the Bay Area greats like Mac Dre and E-40. The stuff people were listening to around me, and the stuff that my mom was playing.

Do you remember the first album you bought for yourself?

Juvenile –  400 Degreez

You have toured and opened for the likes of Drake, Lil Wayne, and Snoop Dogg. You are currently in the midst of your “These Things Happen” Tour stopping at about 40 cities throughout the US and Canada until April. What has been the highlight or most memorable moment on the tour so far?

“Seeing all these kids lined up in the freezing cold just to see you perform. That’s a moment. You know that your fans are dedicated and it inspires me to do what I do.“

Who is in your current playlist? Any artists, musicians or genres we might be surprised to find in there?

I’m really excited for the new Kanye album. I like the new Drake, too. The new J. Cole is crazy. I love Travis Scott’s project. I’m also always listening to my friends shit, I’m hyped for Jay Ant’s album to come out, Devon Baldwin is working on some really crazy shit right now, it’s exciting.

To learn more about G-EASY , visit him HERE .